The Texas Opener

I thought I'd provide some thoughts regarding the Texas season opener vs UNT. With so much mystery surrounding this team under new head coach Charlie Strong, many didn't know what they might see on Saturday night at DKR. Well, I'm here to tell you that I came away with a positive outlook based on what transpired. The following are some things that stood out to me.

The defense! Whoa! There was pressure provided by every level Saturday night! Texas fans saw a dominant defensive line, fast flowing and coverage savvy linebackers, and a pressure-oriented secondary. It's clear what the staff envisions for this defense this year and moving forward. Vance Bedford plans to attack Big 12 offenses with relentless pressure from all levels of the defense. "Basketball on grass" will now have to face the defensive football equivalent of the full court press, Texas Football's version of the '94 Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team. Except we'll rename it "60 minutes of hell." Bedford's defense will apply pressure using zone concepts and man-coverage techniques. A perfect example was Texas' first INT. Shiro Davis dropped from his typical spot on the defensive line (stand up) to cover the slot receiver, walled him off, then trailed him to force a very difficult throw from the quarterback. We know what happened next. Also, was that 2-man zone coverage? I won't go further, but it was refreshing to see proper leverage, proper pursuit angles, and high effort, all of which tend to aid in sure tackling (hat tip to Mykkele). 

Let's turn to the offense. While we didn't see Ash and the gang short circuit the scoreboard, we did see competent blocking by all (most of the time) and a physical disposition that will be necessary going forward. I felt our offensive collective (OC) called a game akin to an NFL preseason  game. The team worked on base concepts and approached the game as an opportunity to practice against "live fire". It will be interesting to see this offense evolve, for as you know, Texas will likely move forward without David Ash. Nevertheless, I thought the signal-caller played average in his debut as he was inconsistent throughout, held the ball too long on occasion, and probably missed some downfield reads. From an overall scheme perspective, I really liked what I saw on Saturday. It turns out, Watson and Wickline may have put their heads together after all. Texas fans saw glimpses of what can best be described as a convergence of Watson's UL offense and Wickline's OSU offense. I'll explain more in my next post, but what I saw was an offense built around the zone run scheme, complete with a ball control oriented quick passing game, packaged run-pass plays, a running back screen game, and a limited view of the vertical passing game. With Tyrone Swoopes likely serving that role from here on out, I expect the offense to slightly change in order to suit his strengths. 

I hate to exclude special teams, but there wasn't much there but a missed field goal and the positive of no penalties. So, until next time, hook'em!